NSW police 'exposed to asbestos'

The New South Wales Police Association says officers have been exposed to asbestos in homes and police stations for years because a report into the problem was buried.

The association's vice-president, Pat Gooley, says an audit of police properties completed three years ago found asbestos in a large number of homes and stations.

But he says the properties were never fixed and officers were not informed of the risk to them and their families.

Mr Gooley has backed the government's decision to refer the matter to the Ombudsman for an independent investigation.

He says he does not know how far up the ranks the report was passed, but he is hoping the ombudsman will be able to find out.

"I'm not aware how high the report went, but certainly if it reaches to those upper levels, something needs to be done to ensure that there is a review mechanism so that it never happens again," he said.

"Our other concern is that there doesn't appear to be any money in the existing police budget or in a future budget to rectify these houses and these police stations.

"That report was buried as there was no money to fix it, and none of our members were informed of the risk they faced both at work or in their homes."

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